JM is an 11 year old boy residing in Tondo, Manila. He first presented with seizures in April 2020 which gradually increased in frequency to almost daily. During this time, he was taking on-line classes as a 5th Grader and finished the year with honors despite having attacks that would occasionally cause his cell phone to fall and need repair.
In February 2021, JM was seen by an epileptologist who diagnosed him with epilepsy and started him on anti-seizure medications which resulted in some decrease in seizure frequency. However, a cranial MRI revealed an intra-axial mass in the medial right temporal lobe so epilepsy surgery was considered.
On July 20, 2021, JM underwent excision of the tumor at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), a tertiary state-owned hospital where 98% of the 600,000 patients it serves annually are indigent. Neurosurgery Outreach Foundation, Inc. thru Let’s Save the Brain Foundation, Inc. provided the funds to rent the neuronavigation machine so image-guided surgery could be performed. The surgery was successful and the tumor completely removed. Five days after the procedure, JM was discharged and is recovering nicely at home.
